Film developer



-May 8, 1923- F. DlAZ FILM DEVELOPER Filed' Feb. 13, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet l f/wzez'aw 17002,

INVENTOR ATTO RNEY May 8, 1923- 1,454,215

F. DIAZ FILM DEVELOPER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 13, 1922 lll/ jj igggfi I a J Ira/20mm ja'az;

INVENTOR ATTORNEY I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 F. DlAZ FILM DEVELOPER Filed Feb l3 A9 IIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIA May 8, 1923 Wazza'soa flzag INVENTOR BY O W ATTORNEY Patented May 8, 1923.

UNITED STATES FRANCISCO DIAZ, OF .VINSLOVI, ARIZONA.

FILM DEVELOPER.

Application filed. February T0 wZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCISCO DIAZ, a citizen of the United States, residing Winslow, in the county of Navajo and State of Arizona, have invented new and useful Improvements in Film Developers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to photographic apparatus, particularly to devices for handling films in strip form, and has for its object the provision of a novel device for carrying out the developing, fixing, and washing of strips of film in a dark room, the invention having for 'one of its important objects the provision of means whereby strips of any length may be handled, regardless of the size of the individualiilms and the number of exposures on the strip, ample adjustment being provided for taking care of all variations.

Another object is the provision of a de vice of this character which needs no enclosing casing or tank inasmuch as it is designed for use in a dark room.

-A further object is the provision of a device of this character which is so constructed and adjusted as to hold the film strip under the proper tension while the strip is being moved mechanically through the proper solution to exert the proper action upon the films.

Another object is the provision of a device of this character which may be readily disassembled for convenience in packing for storage ortransportation, the device being furthermore intended to be properly supported upon a table, shelf or equivalent sup port and therefore requiring no special base.

An additional object is the provision of a device of this character which will be simple and inexpensive in construction, easy to use,

highly efficient in action, durable in service,

and a general improvement in the art.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in the details of construction to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the complete device.

Figure 2 is a side elevation carried thereby.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation.

Figure F1 is a cross sectional view tal en through the pper spool.

showing a film 13, 1922. Serial no. 536,227.

standard 10 which may be formed of two strips of wood secured together with a small block interposed between the lower ends thereof or which may be formed simply as a single upright elongated support formed with a vertical slot 11 extending to its upper end. At its lower end the standard 10 is provided with penetrating pron s 12 adapted to bitingly engage the top of the table 'or other support A. For bracing the standard and holding it rigid it is conceivable that various expedients might be resorted to, though in actual practice I prefer to use a. plurality, preferably three, of wires 13 which are secured to the upper end portion of ti standard as by means of screw eyes 1 and which are connected at their lower nds with other screw eyes 15 screwed into the table top. Secured upon opposite sides of the standard 10 at the upper end thereof, are metal plates 16 and threaded through one side of the standard is a thumb screw 1'? which projects into the slot 11, for a purpose to he described.

Slit hly associated with the standard 10 is a pest 18 which is slidable along the slot 11 and which has lateral displacement in one direction prevented by the plates 16, and this post may be secured in any desired adjustment by means of the thumb screw 17. Atits lower end the post 18 has secured thereon metal plates 19 which bear against opposite sides of the standard, as clearly shown. It should also be stated that the rear side this post 18 is formed as a rack bar or is provided with a series of ratchet teeth 20.

slid-able vertically upon the post 18 is a metal sleeve 21 which has its rear side provided with ears 22 between which is pivoted a spring-pressed pawl 23 engageable with the ratchet teeth for holding this sleeve at any adjusted position along the post. Suitably secured to and extending from the front side of the sleeve 21 is a Spindle 24 upon which is rotatably mounted a flanged spool 25 having an eccentric handle 26 by means of which it may be rotated.

Slidable vertically within the lower portion of the slot 11 is ablock 27 upon one side of which is secured a plate 28 which overlaps the standard at the sides of the slot therein and whichcarries a depending angularly shaped spindle 29 upon which is rotatable a flanged spool 30 disposed in ver-' tical alignment with the spool 25. Pivoted at 31 upon the opposite side of the block 27, is an arm 32 adapted to be swung transversely with respect to the slot 11 toform a guide for the block and to prevent the latter from slipping out of thelslot 11.

In the operation of my device, the film to be developed is unrolled and the ends there- .of are out at the margins of the black paper backing so that the film will be freed from the backing paper. Subsequently to this, the two ends of the film are brought together to form a band and are secured, for instance, as by pins. This band of film is then slipped onto the two spools 25 and 30 with the emulsified side outermost. The post 18 must of course, be adjusted along the slot 11 and the sleeve 21 must likewise be adjusted along the post so that the spools will be the required distance apart, depending upon the size of the film strip and the number of exposures thereon. Assuming that the parts have been properly positioned in this way, it is necessary that the operator press upon the spring-pressed pawl 23 and release the same so that the sleeve 21 may be moved upwardly, carrying with it the film, and also moving the block 27 upwardly,'until the film has been elevated a suiticient distance to permit a suitable vessel or pan containing clear water only to be placed under the spool 30. The operator then lowers the film so that the lower spool 30, will be submerged in the water, after which the spool 25 is rotated by means of the handle 1 26, to'bring all the film through the water for the purpose of softening the film. The film is then again elevated and the pan of water is replaced by a pan of developer solution, after which the film is again lowered,

' and the spool 15 rotated to make the film pass through the developing solution, the speed of course depending upon various conditions. After development has been thus effected, the-pan of developer is moved and replaced by a second pan of clear water I and the operation is repeated to effect the intermediate washing of the film, after 1 which thisv pan of vwaterris removed and rezpllaced by. a neontaining thelfixing. solution. The is again lowered and the spool 25 turned to bring all portions of the film under the influence bf the fixing solution, after which the pan of fixing solution is removed and replaced by a third pan of plain water so that when the film is again lowered and the spool 25 turned the film will be washed.

From the foregoing description and a study of the drawings it will be apparent that I have thus provided a very simply constructed and consequently inexpensive device by means of which developing andfixing, together with the necessary washing 'of strips of film may be readily carried out in a very rapid and efficient manner and with the minimum degree of labor. It will also be observed that the various parts ofthe device may be taken apart so as to 'pack'ina convenient package for transportation or;

storage. It will also be observed that owing to the simplicity of the construction there is nothing to get out of order and the device should therefore have an extremely long life.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is of course to be understood that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form,

construction and arrangement of parts as;

will not depart from the spirit .of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed is j 1. A device of the character described comprising an upstanding slotted supportei a post slidable along said slot, a sleeve member vertically adjustablv mounted upon said post and carrying a spindle. a spool rota. table on said spindle and having a handle, a,

block slidable along the lower end of said slot and carrying. aspindle, and a flanged spool on said last named spindle.

2. A device of the character described comprising an upstanding support, a post slidably adjustably mounted upon said slips nected with the support and adapted to besecured to the table in spaced relation to the lower end of the support, a spool rotatably mounted and vertically adjustably supported from the lower end of the support, and a second spool rotatably mounted and. dis

posed for vertical adjustment'upon the upper end of the support and arranged above the first named spool.

4. A vdevicevof the character described comprising an upstanding support, apost vertically slidably mounted upon said sup- Ill port and having its rear face formed with block slidable with respect to the lower porratchet teeth, means for securing said base tion of the standard, a spindle carried by at a selected position, a sleeve slidable upon the block and supporting a rotatable spool 10 the post and carrying a releasable springdisposed in alignment with the first named 5 pressed pawl enga ing the ratchet teeth, a spool.

spindle extending rom the sleeve and car- In testimony whereof I afiix my si nature. rying a rotatable sleeve having a handle, a FRANCISCO IAZ. 

